School Transportation and Its Impacts on Caregivers in The Bahamas

In Nassau, The Bahamas, ensuring children's access to school carries significant implications for the wellbeing of both children and their caregivers. This study investigates these impacts, examining how challenges and the burdens associated with school transportation affect caregivers' labour market participation, time use, and overall well-being, particularly for women who constitute 83% of our sample. We adopt a mixed-methods approach, drawing on qualitative insights from interviews and focus groups, complemented by descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis of survey data from 477 caregivers. Our findings reveal significant impacts: school transport duties constrain caregivers' ability to work, forcing adaptations like reduced hours, job changes, tardiness, or requests for flexibility, while simultaneously fragmenting daily time budgets and limiting opportunities for rest or self-care. Caregivers, especially women and those with disabilities, report considerable physical and mental stress, although many still value the commute as family or activity time. High anxiety about childrens safety during commutes further compounds these burdens. While potential solutions like group walking and school bus services garner interest, particularly among car-less households, significant concerns about safety and supervision, especially regarding gender-based violence, hinder widespread acceptance. This paper underscores the profound, often gendered, consequences of inadequate school transport systems, highlighting the urgent need for supportive, co-produced policies that address logistical challenges and caregiver well-being to foster more equitable access to education and opportunities.